Ashmedai slowly turned, looking at each of the humans, as though fascinated, his head tilting back and forth.
“He’s never seen a good soul before,” Talon breathed. “He’s never been to Earth. He’s only ever seen damned souls, guilty ones.”
On the other side of the loose circle they’d formed around the sin eater, Nathan looked teary-eyed, and Storm hugged him from behind, murmuring something in his ear that made Nathan nod and squeeze his eyes shut.
Julian’s gaze fell to the bodies at Ashmedai’s feet. He’d killed all of them but Wallace, who was already dead, and left empty husks of their bodies. Wallace had bled out, his eyes staring up at nothing, and Julian’s stomach twisted.
“But I killed him,” he whispered. “Isn’t murder one of the worst sins?”
Ashmedai looked at him again. “Justice,” he rattled out.
“Sometimes dark things must be done for the good of all,” Valac said. “It is important that the weight of those things aren’t dismissed. It isn’t in your nature to revel in the suffering of others, even those who have done you wrong. That’s why his death hasn’t tarnished your soul. You respect the gravity of what you’ve done.”
Ashmedai inclined his hooded head in agreement.
Alex looked at the bodies. “What do we do about them?”
“We’ll dispose of them,” Talon said after a moment’s thought.
“Or…” Shadrach said, “we could let the paladins dispose of them. Leave them on their doorstep like a warning. I particularly like that that one—” he pointed at Wallace, “—was obviously killed by a blade, while the rest were disposed of like unwanted extras. I take it he’s the one who stabbed you?” This last was directed at Julian.
He nodded. “Yeah. He was the captain of this squad.”
“I’m willing to bet he made sure everyone at HQ knew he was responsible for your alleged death,” Shadrach went on. “Soit would be fitting that they should find him killed in the same manner.”
Talon looked thoughtful. “I don’t hate it. Jules?”
His closest friends had always called him Jules. It wasn’t the first time one of them had used it, and it sent a curl of warmth through him every single time.
“That’s fine with me, as long as I don’t have to help with delivery.”
“No, I don’t want any of you going anywhere near HQ,” Talon agreed.
“Even me?” Isaac quipped, smirking.
“Don’t push it.” But his eyes glittered with mirth.
Valac turned Julian’s face from the bodies. “Who hurt you, my jewel? Which one of them knocked you out? The one you stabbed?”
“What? No. Talon did it so I could get a message to you.”
Valac’s expression filled with rage. Beside them, Talon stiffened and whipped around to face them, raising one hand to ward him off as Valac turned bodily.
Excuses tumbled from Talon. “I didn’t hurt him, Valac. I cut off his airway for a few seconds just so he could slip under and get a message to you. I never would have caused him real harm.”
Julian had never seen Talon display real fear, even when he and Valac had faced off together over Astaroth’s decree, but he certainly showed it now. Hands raised, backing up, his eyes wide and pleading. Valac was stronger than him, and they both knew it.
Julian was the only one who could reassure Valac. He reached for him, opening his mouth to promise that he was okay and that he’d consented for Talon to do it—sort of—when Valac lashed out. His fist collided with Talon’s face, whipping his head so hard that he staggered. Black blood sprayed from his mouth, and his arms pinwheeled to keep him upright.
“Talon!” Alex cried out.
“Valac!” Julian shouted, diving in front of Valac before he could go after him. His broad chest pushed against Julian’s outstretched hands. “I let him, okay? I let him!”
“He hurt you!”
“No, he didn’t!” He grabbed Valac’s hand, splattered with Talon’s blood, and placed it on his perfectly healed throat. “Look. It’s not like he hit me over the head with a brick to knock me out. He just choked me. It took seconds. There wasn’t even a bruise when I woke up.”
Valac’s fingers gently stroked the delicate skin of his neck. He was softening in increments, and Julian heard Alex behind him, cooing over Talon’s bleeding face.
